There’s something very special about waking up and realizing it would have been the 91st birthday of Charles M. Schulz. From October to December, it’s really, the Season of Charles Schulz, the cartoonist who created warm and funny scenarios to take us through Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas with his “Peanuts Gang”, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, Peppermint Patty and my personal favorite “Pig Pen”.

I wrote a blog last year which you can read here, so I wondered what should I write this year..?

I enjoyed writing my 2012 blog, and I really researched it a lot. In my mind, nothing could really top it. But then I read the Huffington post this morning and I thought, okay, here’s another angle. But then I read that they too, revisited their blog from last year and tweaked it for this year.

So with permission, I’m re-posting their article below. I just don’t know who it’s written by because I’d like to give them their props in my blog.

Today is the birthday of American cartoonist Charles Monroe Schulz, that beloved “Peanuts” creator who would turn 91 years old if he were still alive today.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz is remembered most fondly for the wholesome characters he created throughout his 50-year-long illustration career. Among them are the eternally hesitant Charlie Brown and the mischievous Snoopy, two characters who came to represent the iconic four-panel gag strip known as “Peanuts.” Schulz devoted much of his life to the American comic standard, which ran up until the day after his death in 2000.

In honor of the 91st anniversary of Schulz’s birth, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the man behind the cartoon, so we’ve put together 20 facts you might not have known about the great American artist. Behold, the quirks of a “Peanuts” legend:

Schulz’s father was a barber and his mother a housewife, just like Charlie Brown’s parents. Plus, as the youngest in his class at Central High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Schulz was famously shy.2. Schulz’s childhood nickname was based on a comic strip.

Schulz’s childhood nickname, Sparky, was given to him by his uncle and refers to the horse Spark Plug in Billy DeBeck’s comic strip, “Barney Google.”3. Schulz had his own unusual dog named Spike.

When Schulz was a young boy, he submitted a picture of his dog, Spike, to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! His drawing appeared in Robert Ripley’s syndicated panel, describing Spike as an usual dog who ate pins, tacks and razor blades.4. Schulz served in WWII but never fired his weapon.

In 1943, Schulz was drafted into the United States Army where he served as a staff sergeant with the 20th Armored Division in Europe. During his service as a squad leader on a .50 caliber machine gun team, his unit saw very little combat, and Schulz later explained that during the only opportunity to fire his machine gun he discovered that he had actually forgotten to load it.5. Schulz debuted his two most famous characters in a comic strip known as “Li’l Folks.”

The name of Schulz’s most famous character — Charlie Brown — first appeared in an earlier cartoon written by the Peanuts creator titled “Li’l Folks”, which was published from 1947 to 1950. That same series also featured a dog that resembled Snoopy.6. Schulz didn’t actually name “Peanuts.”

In 1950, Schulz approached the United Feature Syndicate with his comic strip Li’l Folks. The syndication company accepted Schulz work but decided that the name “Li’l Folks” was too close to the names of two other comics of the time: Al Capp’s “Li’l Abner” and a strip titled “Little Folks.” So, to avoid confusion, United Feature Syndicate settled on the name “Peanuts” after the peanut gallery featured in the “Howdy Doody” TV show. In the end, Schulz did not name his famous work.7. And he hated the name.

Schulz always disliked the title of his famous comic strip, “Peanuts”. In a 1987 interview, Schulz said of the name: “It’s totally ridiculous, has no meaning, is simply confusing, and has no dignity — and I think my humor has dignity.”8. Schulz wanted to call Snoopy “Sniffy.”

Schulz was originally going to call his star dog character “Sniffy”, that is until he discovered that name had already been used in a different comic strip. So the cartoonist changed it to “Snoopy” after remembering that his late mother Dena Schulz told the family that if they were ever to acquire a third dog, it should be called Snoopy, an affectionate term in Norwegian. (The word is “Snuppa”.)9. And Schulz wanted Snoopy to be entirely silent.

Schulz originally imagined Snoopy as a silent character. It was only after two years of the comic that Snoopy verbalized his thoughts to readers in a thought balloon in 1952.10. Schulz named many of the other “Peanuts” characters after his friends.

Linus and Shermy, prominent characters in the Peanuts comic strip, were named for good friends of Schulz, Linus Maurer and Sherman Plepler.11. Relatives served as inspiration too.

The character of Peppermint Patty was inspired by Patricia Swanson, one of Schulz’s cousins on his mother’s side. Schulz came up with the full name when he saw peppermint candies in his house.12. And ex-girlfriends.

The character of the Little Red-Haired Girl (Charlie Brown’s love interest in “Peanuts”) was based on a woman in Schulz’s life named Donna Mae Johnson. She was an Art Instruction Inc. accountant with whom the cartoonist had a relationship, but when he proposed to her, she turned him down.13. Schulz was adamant about “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

For “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, network executives were hesitant about a scene involving Linus reciting the story of Christ’s birth. But in a documentary about the making of the program, Charles Schulz states, “If we don’t tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will?” And so the scene remained. Schulz also felt strongly about the absence of a laugh track in the televised cartoon, maintaining that the audience should be able to enjoy the show at their own pace, without being cued when to laugh. CBS created a version with a laugh track, but that version never aired.15. Schulz was an avid hockey fan.

Schulz was an avid hockey fan. In 1998, he hosted the first Over 75 Hockey Tournament and in 2001, the city of Saint Paul, MN renamed the Highland Park Ice Arena the Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena in his honor.16. Schulz loved the Space Program.

Schulz was also a huge proponent of the space program, so much so that the 1969 Apollo 10 command module was named Charlie Brown and a lunar module was named Snoopy.17. Schulz was pals with Reagan.

Ronald Reagan once wrote a fan note to Schulz saying that the president identified with Charlie Brown.18. Schulz really wanted Charlie Brown to kick the football.

When Schulz was asked if Charlie Brown would finally get to kick the football in the final “Peanuts” strip, his response was: “Oh, no! Definitely not! I couldn’t have Charlie Brown kick that football; that would be a terrible disservice to him after nearly half a century.” But in a December 1999 interview, Schulz recounted the moment when he signed the final comic panel, stating, “All of a sudden I thought, ‘You know, that poor, poor kid, he never even got to kick the football. What a dirty trick — he never had a chance to kick the football!’”18. Schulz was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

At its height, Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip was published in 75 countries, in 21 different languages.20. Schulz created one of the longest stories ever told by one human being.

According to Robert Thompson of Syracuse University, Schulz created “arguably the longest story ever told by one human being”. In total, Schulz produced 17,897 published strips from 1950 to 2000, with reruns continuing after.

In honor of Charles Schulz birthday, we are revisiting a post originally published last year honoring the artist’s life and work.

Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the first president born in the 20th century to become president during his time and the youngest elected president to date.

Well film lovers – the behemoth that is known as the 38th AnnualToronto International Film Festival is in full swing starting Today!

As my readers know, I try and give you the best bang for your $23.50 per ticket by breaking down the monster program book into a pop-culture-y take and make it all user friendly.

I always try to find the gems from all over the world and not just Hollywood blockbusters. Especially interesting to filmgoers should be films without distribution. Those are the films people need to see so the filmmaker can build and audience through word-of-mouth, no matter what country they’re from. This year was tough to stay ‘indie‘ with so many good people making good movies and a few GREAT directorial debuts, by the likes of (my crushes) Jason Bateman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt for instance.

This year Ejiofor stars in two heartfelt and dramatic films at TIFF. He plays ‘Odenigbo’ inHalf of a Yellow Sun about family and war in Nigeria by director Biyi Bandele and starring opposite Thandie Newton and Anika Noni Rose.

In “12 Years a Slave“, Ejiofor also stars as ‘Solomon Northup’ in this horrendous based on fact story about a fiddle playing 19th-century free black man abducted and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War era Deep South. Directed by Steve McQueen “Hunger” (2008) and Shame (2011). Cast your early Oscar vote for for Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”. It’s going to be a Winner.

It’s not the best news to the ears of Batman fans. But you know we’re all going to rush to the box office to see it. Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck has been cast as the new Batman in the “Man of Steel” sequel, according to a statement released by Warner Bros. just after last month’s San Diego Comic-Con International.

The announcement follows weeks of speculation about who would don the Dark Knight’s cape in the Batman-Superman film currently titled “Batman vs. Superman“.

Greg Silverman, Warner Bros. President of Creative Development:

“We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular superheroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill. His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character.”

If you are a Batman fan like I am, you are also a Catwoman fan. Today is the birthday of TVs first Catwoman, Ms. Julie Newmar. She is 79.

The statuesque Newmar stands at 5′ 11″ while her counterpart in Season 3 the fabbbbulous Ms. Eartha Kitt was 5′ 4″. Newmar played Catwoman in seasons 1 and 2 in the Batman TV Series. She was set to continue to the 3rd and final season but had a schedule conflict.

One of the things people might now know is that Newmar ‘s mother was a fashion designer under the name “Chalene” and between the two of them, they decided to modify her Catwoman outfit by moving the the belt from the waist to the hips to emphasize Newmar’s hourglass figure.

Even though there’s still snow on my terrace from two days of winter’s last gasp, I wish you all a very Happy 1st Day of Spring.

I was reading a few blogs this morning and came across an article from AwardsLine.com, a site I visited for the first time today. I almost didn’t read it due to the landing page style. Then I realized it was a feature site dedicated to this years Oscars. When you click through you’ll find some interesting Q&A’s with key creative directors, producers and stars such as: Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Jackman, Grant Heslov and Kathleen Kennedy from this years 85th Annual Academy Award® nominated films.

The article was a snapshot of how the nominated directors envisioned their ideas, but more so, some of the hoops they had to go through to bring their film to life.

Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry Show Their Strengths in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” by director Benh Zeitlin

Even though he’s worked in film, on music videos and even spent time as a writer for the daytime soap, “One Life to Live” on ABC, he’s most noted as a writer for Marvel comics and other graphic novels.

It’s been a strong year for independent stage productions with Fringe faves “Tinfoil Dinosaur” by Sam S. Mullins and “Gay Nerds” by JP Larocque placed firmly at the top of my list. Last night I went to the opening night performance of “A Clockwork Orange” from director Victoria Fuller, a Newfoundland lass and recent graduate of The Royal Conservatoire Of Scotland at Glasgow with MA in musical theater.

Adrian Yearwood as “Alex” screams for the “bliss and heaven” of Beethoven…

On many levels this mount of “A Clockwork Orange” worked and I would place in my Top 6 of all the plays I’ve seen this year. Staying true to the storyline, compressing it but going through all 21 chapters the way Burgess had intended.

The play opens at the Korova Milkbar, an establishment that serves milk laced with drugs in which fifteen-year-old Alex (played with physical litheness and postmodern angst by Adrian Yearwood) who talks in a teenage slang called Nadsat (part Russian, part Cockney English) and revs up his trio of teenage criminals: Pete, Georgie and Dim to roam the streets of London, robbing and beating men and raping women. The last of these crimes is particularly brutal.

Alex and his band of misguided brothers happen upon an author also named “Alex” as in F. Alexander, played with natural warmth by Jake Fisher, who is out for a stroll with his lovely supportive wife. The bad Alex takes an immediate dislike to the good Alex. The fact that the author’s name matches the team leader and that he’s written a manuscript with the metafictional title “A Clockwork Orange” somehow enrages teen-thug Alex beyond comprehension so they beat up the author and gang-rape his wife while making him watch.Continue reading “Review :: Indie Stage :: A Clockwork Orange :: Takes a Licking and Keeps On Ticking”

Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick Star in their own vicious ‘Election’!

by Shannonn Kelly 06:30AM, EST, November 09, 2012

When I found out a few days ago that Sarah Jessica Parker hosted a dinner for Barack Obama in her west village home that she lives in with husband Matthew Broderick, it reminded me of one of my favorite ‘Election’ themed movies, efficiently titled, “Election” (1999).

It stars Broderick as a soon to be stressed out high-school teacher Mr. McAllister, who’s life gets turned upside down by his involvement in the school election and seething hatred for Tracey Flick, a manipulative, self-centered senior running for class president played by Reese Witherspoon.

This film is so funny and so vicious when it comes to the ethics of politics. The cinematography is at times hilarious, especially when the editor decides to freeze frame some of the shots with Witherspoon.

This movie brings me to my question: In Tuesday’s Election, did Life Imitate Art? Did the scenarios from ‘real life’ play out better during this election season or in the movies below. What ‘Election’ movie is your favorite? Cast your Vote!